The candidate, Dr. Charbonneau, is a general internist who joined the Department of Internal Medicine faculty at the University of Kansas Medical Center in 2003. This award will provide her with the scholarly training, mentorship, support, and pilot information essential to her development into an independent clinical researcher in adult obesity and cardiovascular disease prevention. Specific objectives are to 1) acquire new knowledge of nutrition, exercise physiology, rural health, and cardiovascular disease prevention, especially related to care of the adult primary care patient, 2) build skills in qualitative research methodology and clinical interventions, 3) use the knowledge gained to develop and pilot a clinical intervention to treat obesity among rural primary care patients, and 4) to become an independently-funded clinical investigator in the area of adult obesity and cardiovascular disease prevention. To achieve these objectives, the candidate proposes a five-year training program with strong faculty members from relevant departments throughout her university, and a scientific advisory board of nationally-renowned scholars in adult obesity and cardiovascular disease prevention. Her primary sponsor is a senior clinical investigator in the field of chronic disease prevention. His research has been focused on decreasing at-risk behaviors for chronic disease among rural and urban primary care patients. Co-mentors and consultants represent subspecialties that are directly relevant to the proposed career development and research plans. The career development proposal describes increasing the candidate's knowledge of obesity, cardiovascular disease prevention, and general research issues through coursework, independent study, and a research plan. The research plan involves two projects. Study 1 will use focus groups to assess factors related to weight control among obese rural primary care patients. From these data, an established intervention with which the candidate is experienced will be strengthened. Study 2 will pilot the improved intervention, a chronic care model program for obesity, among rural Kansas primary care patients and compare it with usual care. The proposed career development and research plan will allow the candidate to launch a successful career in adult obesity and cardiovascular disease prevention while advancing our understanding of adult obesity and obesity care of the rural primary care patient.